A Powerful Echo
by FanFicGirl10987
Summary: My name is Echo and let me tell you, the first seven years of my life really sucked. I lived in an orphanage and only had one friend. Well all that's about to change because of a snake. Well my only solution was to find the ninja, but I end up finding more than I wanted to.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu for it belongs to LEGO. I do however own Echo and Alex. Tove is owned by Madi (madi51000), Lillie is owned by Bryanna (BubblyMahomie), and Vanessa is owned by Alyson (she doesn't have an account).**_

**I'm finally writing Echo's background story which I've decided to call ****_A Powerful Echo_****. Echo has actually been in a couple of my stories, ****_Ninjago 2014 _****and ****_Ninjago: Frozen_****. Now she gets her own story! This is all in Echo's POV (point of view) so if she doesn't know something, you won't know it. Well, unless you've read the two stories she's in...**

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I woke up and quickly made my bed. I glanced over to Molly who'd done the same. I changed into my street clothes, maroon tee, denim shorts, and black shoes, and I walked over t my mirror. I brushed my hair and tied it into low pigtails. It was a normal day in the orphanage. I could go ahead and tell you what would happen today before it happened. First, everyone at breakfast will chat away, completely forgetting I was there. Then, someone will visit the orphanage and _not_ adopt me. Finally, I'll go to bed wondering why in Ninjago did my parents hate me so much. Yeah, that's a normal day for me.

"Echo, come on, we're gonna be late for breakfast," Molly said, heading for the door.

I nodded and stood up. Okay so maybe I'm not completely ignored. Molly's my friend, my only friend. We share a room together and get along pretty well considering we have a seven year age difference. We had another roommate, Cindy, but she was adopted not too long ago. Cindy's ten, three years older than me, and her face lit up like a Christmas tree when she found out she was being adopted. Molly and I gave her a farewell party before she left. It was just us though because Ms. Ceader doesn't like parties... or kids. You'd think they wouldn't allow people who didn't like kids to run an orphanage.

Molly and I sat down at our seats. Like I predicted, everyone was chatting away. Molly put a couple pancakes on my plate and a strip of bacon. I began eating, listening to some of the gossip from the other girls. I was never one to spread gossip, but listening to it was a good way to pass the time. I also like knowing whether they're talking about me or not. It bugs me when they talk about me but not to me. I may be invisible most of the time, but if I mess up everyone sees me. Yet no one ever sees Ginger's mistakes. Ginger is sixteen, the oldest one here, and she acts like a total snob. We all know she'll never get adopted, and she doesn't want to because then she can't feel like the queen of the orphanage anymore. I always catch her when she thinks no one is looking, and if the others saw it too, no one would think she's all preppy anymore.

"Okay everyone, listen up," Ms. Ceader called, immediately getting everyone's attention. No one ever wanted to get on her bad side, not even Ginger would disobey her. "The orphanage is low on funds and unless all of you wanna end up on the streets you'll need to meet our candy sales' goal this year."

This is the worse part about the orphanage. We only get one chance a year to keep the orphanage going and that's selling candy. Basically, each room is forced to go out and sell at least $500 worth of candy. If said room doesn't reach the goal, they go without lunch for the next month, or two months, it varies on how much they're below the goal. Of course there's one bright side. Who ever sells the most boxes of candy gets the really fancy room. Ginger and her room have been winning it since Ginger was thirteen. The fancy room has silk bed sheets, three queen sized beds, and a separate bathroom. Though it's really hard to win if you don't have all three girls selling, so Molly and I have literally no chance of winning. I think we barely have a chance of making the $500 goal!

"Um, M. Ceader," Molly spoke up. Everyone turned to Molly. "Room G10 only has two girls this year and Echo isn't old enough to sell on her own."

"I don't see your point, Miss Lars. Miss Lenay will be eight in three months and is more than capable of selling on her own," Ms. Ceader said.

Okay, so confession time. Lenay is actually my middle name. I guess my parents didn't want to give away my real last name because they left it blank when they gave me to the orphanage. Molly once told me my last name, I don't know how in Ninjago she got it, but I didn't believe her anyway. The name she told me couldn't have been right. It just couldn't...

"But Ms. Ceader, you've never pushed anyone else to sell on their own before reaching eight. Echo should be no different," Molly argued.

"Molly, sit down, it's fine," I said hushly, pulling on her arm.

"It's not fine," Molly told me. "You can't be going off on your own."

"That's quite enough, Miss Lars," Ms. Ceader snapped, slamming her ruler onto the table. Don't ask why she carries a ruler, just don't. "Miss Lenay _will _sell at least half of the goal. Is that understood?"

Molly nodded and said, "Yes ma'am." She sat back down.

"Miss Lenay?" Ms. Ceader asked.

"I understand," I replied, then quickly added, "Ma'am."

"Good," Ms. Ceader smiled. "See? Everything works out. Now finish up breakfast. I want all of you selling by noon."

Ms. Ceader walked out of the room. No one continued their conversations or gossiping. We ate the rest of breakfast in silence.

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**So there's the start. Echo's life since she was dropped off at the orphanage. So basically like all orphanages in stories, it really sucks. There will be more on this kind of stuff in the next chapter. Review, and uh, please no flames. I really do hate them so. More than Echo hates people gossiping about her. Well actually, who doesn't hate when people gossip about their life. (Actually that was rhetorical. Though I don't really hate it so much. I mean, if their lives are so boring they have to talk and/or make up stuff about me then that's their problem not mine. Remember that next time someone starts a rumor about you. Don't care and just wonder to yourself "Who's life is so boring they have to talk about me")**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry I'm a day late! Gah I feel awful! I don't know why I forgot because I'm working on chapter 7.**

**Guest: Well aren't you sweet? Echo and Molly being adopted by the Ninja is a great idea! Though I kinda have it figured out and... You just might wanna keep reading.**

**So, onward! It only gets better from here. If you're good at figuring things out by clues hidden within the story... Just read... :) MWHAHAHA!**

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Molly and I were out selling candy for awhile. It was about three when I got tired of walking around. We'd only sold $50 with in the three hours of selling. "At this rate we'll have the goal in ten days, but count school into that..." I mumbled.

"Echo, don't worry," Molly assured me. "We'll be done in no time."

I nodded and we walked up to an old apartment building. "How about I go start my half?" I suggested, not wanting to go into the creepy building.

"Well, I guess that would be okay," Molly murmured. "Just don't go too far."

"I won't," I told her. Molly headed inside and I walked down the street a little ways. As I passed an alleyway, something caught my eye. I turned to see nothing but a dumpster. I'm not sure what I thought I saw, but I do know it was purple. I continued down the street, with an odd feeling I was being followed. I stopped at a house, glancing back to see nothing, I knocked on the door. A man answered it. "Um, would you like to buy some candy to raise money for the orphanage?" I asked.

"Sure," the man replied. I handed him the order form for him to look over. After a moment he handed it back and shut the door. He'd ordered five boxes, a lot for one house. Usually one house ordered three at most.

I started back up the street as Molly came out. "Okay," she said. "That's about fifteen boxes..."

"Twenty," I corrected her.

"Right, twenty boxes. Let's see that's..." she paused for a moment, doing the math. "A hundred dollars. Wanna call it a day?"

"Yes," I said immediately. I glanced over my shoulder as Molly turned away. There was, just for a brief moment, something standing a few feet away. I moved closer to Molly as we headed back to the orphanage. Black clouds began to move over head the closer we got to the orphanage. As we walked in it began pouring rain. Odd, I didn't realize it was suppose to rain.

"Back so soon? How much did you sell?" Ms. Ceader asked.

"A hundred dollars worth," Molly replied.

"And how much of that did Echo sell by herself?" Ms. Ceader pressed.

"Twenty-five dollars," I said.

Ms. Ceader crossed her arms. "I guess that's fine for today, but go to your room. No one else is back and there's no reason for you two to be out here."

We headed up to our room. "I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with that ignoramus for the next eleven years," I muttered.

Molly rolled her eyes. "You're not going to be stuck with her. I'm sure you'll be adopted before your thirteenth birthday. I mean who wouldn't want you? You're smart, funny, nice, and who wouldn't want a seven year old who uses words like ignoramus?"

"Apparently my parents," I said. "And I can bet I won't get adopted before thirteen. And then after that comes I'll _never_ get adopted!"

So thirteen is like an imaginary cut off for being adopted. No one wants to adopt a teenager. The proof? Ginger, Abigail, Jenny, and Molly. All of them are teenagers and not one person even considered adopting them. After you turn thirteen, you basically know your future. You're stuck in the orphanage until you graduate high school. Those who don't stay in the orphanage after thirteen aren't adopted, but they run away. That's what I plan to do, though I'll never tell Molly. I'm going to run away and lie on the streets. Molly would be an adult by then and I won't see her anyways so why bother even telling her.

Molly sighed. "Echo, do you wanna hear a story?"

I plopped down onto my bed. "Why not? Not like there's anything better to do."

Molly sat down on her bed and closed her eyes for a moment. I really liked Molly's stories. She had almost perfect memory. If she saw something, or heard about something, she could give any detail to it. It took her a moment to gather the memory though. I wish I was a telepath so I could peek into her mind to see what it looks like. I bet it's full of books with every memory she's ever had, each in full detail and reading it was like I was there.

"Okay," Molly said. "Echo, I was eight when you were dropped off here. Meaning you were one year old. You know that, but I think you should know exactly what happened that day."

"Like with my parents?" I questioned. Molly nodded. I never even considered the fact that Molly was here when my parents dropped me off. Her mom died when she was four and her dad was such a wreck, he gave her to the orphanage and killed himself. She was only five when it happened, but when she told me that story it was like she had only lived it moments before.

"So, it was a warm, breezy, autumn day. The time was eleven fifty two when the main doors opened. A woman and a man walked in, there was a baby girl in the woman's arms. The man had blonde messy hair, blue eyes, and he wore an odd kimono. It was black with strange white symbols on it. And the woman had brown, braided hair and bright green eyes. She wore some kind of an adventure's outfit, a kaki shirt with a bunch of pockets and green jeans. Anyway, it was about five minutes before they finally handed you over to Ms. Ceader and left." Molly opened her eyes and looked to me.

I didn't know what to think. I always thought my parents came in, handed me straight to Ms. Ceader, and left. I looked down at the green carpeted floor. It never occurred to me that they may not have been able to care for me and how hard it could've been on them. "So, do you think I'll ever see them again?" I asked.

Molly shrugged. "It's hard to say. A lot can change in six years."

I sighed and looked out the window. The storm was gone and the city seemed calm. A thought occurred. "Molly, where were you when all this was happening?"

"Well, I was eight, and there was nothing to do, so I was just reading in the main hall," Molly replied.

"Oh," I mumbled. Suddenly there was a shriek from downstairs. It sounded like Ginger. Even though Molly and I didn't care for her, we jumped up and dashed out the door. Only after we got downstairs did I realize I shouldn't have left. There, holding Ginger by the neck, was a big, purple snake. And he smiled. Right. At. Me.

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**Bam-what! Lol! I left you at a cliff hanger. It's my favorite kind of cliff. All the other ones I usually fall off of... Which reminds me. Warning: Do NOT follow in my foot steps. I tend to walk into walls and off the occasional cliff. So review, don't flame, and I really can't wait to read your reviews. Seriously, I really love reading reviews, plus half the time a simple question can help me with writer's block.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Butter4Evaz: Thank you! =^_^=**

**Guest: Close! And here's the answer to your other question... (It's in this chapter!)**

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My heart was racing as the snake tossed Ginger like a rag doll. He started towards us, and I swear I saw lightning flash outside. Molly didn't seem as scared as I was because she grabbed a broom and swung it at the snake. The snake put up its staff, it was a golden serpent head with a purple gem in the middle, blocking her strike. It used its staff to sweep Molly aside, practically throwing her across the room. "Looks like now it's just us," the snake hissed. It had an odd accent in its voice, meaning it definitely wasn't from around here.

"No!" I yelled. "Leave me alone!" The wind blew, flinging the door open. I took a step back, the snake just moving closer.

"Echo, go!" Molly called.

"What?" I questioned. "Go where?"

"Remember what was on the news a few weeks ago?" she asked.

I thought for a moment and nodded. The snake lunged at me and I quickly ducked out of the way. I darted out the door and hurried down the street in a raging storm. I looked up at the sky to see the dark clouds were back and lightning cracked across the sky. I glanced back and saw nothing, but I wasn't stopping. I kept going until I reached the outskirts of the city. There, in a small field, was a ship. I climbed aboard and looked around again. No one was outside, probably because of the storm. I took a step back and an alarm sounded. Within seconds, nine ninja were out on the decks with me.

"What?" the blue ninja questioned. "I thought we were gonna get to fight something."

I saw the golden ninja, the one that had destroyed the Overlord, and I knew he'd be the one to protect me. I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "Don't let it get me," I whimpered.

"Don't let what get you?" he asked.

"The purple snake!" I cried. "It's after me."

"Wait, Pythor? That's not even possible," the pink ninja said. "Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

I shook my head. "I-It hurt Molly and Ginger. I know it was real!"

"She seems pretty spooked," the black ninja said. "Let's just take her to Sensei Wu and see if he can calm her."

The golden ninja lead me down to the lower decks. He knocked on a door and called, "Uncle Wu?"

The door opened and a man with a white kimono and bamboo hat stood in the door way. I looked up at his blue eyes as they widened. He quickly shook off what ever he was thinking and asked, "Who's this?"

"I-I'm Echo," I stuttered, still a bit shaken. "There's a s-snake after me."

The man looked up to the golden ninja. "Apparently Pythor's back," the ninja said.

The man signaled for us to come in. We sat down as the man walked over and sat down in front of us. He poured some tea and it was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure you saw a snake?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "He was big, purple, and he carried a golden staff." There was a small rumbled of thunder in the distance.

The man thought for a moment. "My name is Sensei Wu," he said. "Until we find Pythor, you're welcome to stay here. Lloyd will show you around."

"Right," the gold ninja said. He stood up and held out his hand. I hesitantly took his hand and we walked out of the room. "So Echo, how old are you?"

"Seven," I mumbled shyly. "The other ninja and you, you're not gonna forget about me and let the snake get me, right?"

"Of course not," Lloyd assured me.

"Okay, good," I sighed in relief. We walked over to another room. Lloyd opened it and the girl ninja and another girl were inside.

"Echo, you'll be staying with the girls," Lloyd told me. "Girls, this is Echo. Sensei said she'll be staying until we get the Pythor thing under control."

"Cool! It's like having a sleep over!" the orange ninja squealed. "Hi, my name is Lillie."

"She's got the mental age of a six year old," the grey ninja mumbled. "My name is Tove."

The pink ninja rolled her eyes. "My name is Alex," she said kindly.

"I'm Vanessa, eh," the purple ninja said.

"And I'm Nya," the other girl said.

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled a little.

Alex walked over to the closet and grabbed a couple of blankets and a pillow. She set up an area for me to sleep. "Well, there ya go," she said awkwardly.

"Thank you," I said with a small yawn.

"Aw! Isn't she just adorable?" Lillie squealed.

"Lillie, she's not a dog," Tove chided.

I sat down on the makeshift bed. "Don't worry, eh," Vanessa said. "Soon Pythor will be gone and you can go back to your life."

"Oh yippie," I mumbled sarcastically then instantly covered my mouth. I didn't like being sarcastic but sometimes it just slips out. I usually like saying directly what's on my mind.

"You don't sound so happy about it," Nya noted. "Do you not like the way your life is?"

I couldn't stop myself from answering, "Not really. The orphanage stinks and I know I'm never gettin adopted. No one hardly notices me and by my thirteenth birthday my only friend will already be old enough to leave so I'll be by myself."

"What's wrong with thirteen? I've always hated eleven," Alex murmured.

"Well once you're thirteen you have two options. Get over yourself and stay at the orphanage or run away," I explained. "No one ever gets adopted after they become a teenager."

"Don't say that, I'm sure you'll get adopted," Lillie said. She gasped and her eyes grew big. "Maybe I could..."

"Lillie we can't even trust you with a bucket without it getting stuck on your head. Then you can't get it off, forgetting your power to go through solid objects. We aren't trusting you with a little girl," Tove interrupted. "Especially when your mental age is younger than her."

"It's fine," I told them. "I was planning on running away anyhow. I have my whole life after my thirteenth birthday figured out, so no worries."

The five started staring at me as if they didn't believe me. "Echo, don't even think like that," Nya scolded. "You don't need to be running away at thirteen."

"I ran away at thirteen," Alex said. "But then again I had eight years of ninja training."

"Trust my word, Echo," Tove said. "The city is no place for a kid, teen, or even an adult to live without a home."

I looked down. That's what I get for sharing my ideas. No one ever stopped to consider the fact that maybe I was tough enough to survive on my own. Or that maybe I knew where to go. Not that I was or did, but they still should've thought about it a bit more. I laid down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. "What's it like being a ninja?" I asked absent mindedly.

"It's great, eh," Vanessa replied. "Minus all the training sessions Alex is in charge of."

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't handle a little extra work," Alex said defensively.

"A little? Alex you once made me do push ups until my arms gave out," Lillie complained.

Alex laughed a little. "That actually had nothing to do with training, I just wanted to see how many you could do. And let me say, fifteen is not that impressive."

"What about that time you made us fight blind folded?" Tove questioned. "Didn't that have something to do wih training?"

"Well yeah. What if you're in the dark, or are blinded by smoke or something? You're gonna thank me for that training session then," Alex said with a smirk.

"If you guys want I don't think it's too late to become a samurai," Nya offered.

"No way!" Tove declined.

"Nah," Vanessa mumbled. "I'm good with being a ninja, eh."

"I'm not sure I can handle being a samurai. The technology and stuff will get mixed up in my head," Lillie said.

"And I'm pretty sure it is too late for me to change," Alex added.

The five continued to talk for a few more minutes. I slowly drifted into sleep. I'd miss Molly for the time being, and the idea that a snake was after me wasn't to pleasant either, but I was still tired enough to push that aside. I closed my eyes, and within seconds, I was fast asleep.

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**I am more than willing to answer any question about Alex, Tove, Lillie, or Vanessa. But yeah, Echo is now on the Bounty. I'm so tempted to write a spoiler in this, but I'm not gonna... Hopefully. So I'll just wrap this up. Review, no flaming, and I'll update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**What? No reviews? I feel empty inside... Well here's the next chapter. Remember: I'll be updating every Tuesday unless something comes up. Time varies on when I remember on Tuesday...**

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I woke up and rolled to my right, half expecting to see a clock, but then I remembered I wasn't in the orphanage. I pushed myself up and looked at the other beds. The five girls were gone. I guess I got a bit scared and panicked. I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the room, accidently running into a man. It wasn't their Sensei though, his man was different. He had grey hair and carmel colored eyes. He wore a dark kimono. "I'm sorry," I quickly apologized.

"It's all right," the man said, his voice sounded familiar. "I should've been paying attention."

I thought for a moment, nothing came up and I frowned. "Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked. "You seem very familiar."

"Yeah, I use to go by Lord Garmadon, but now it's just Garmadon," he replied.

"Wait Lord Garmadon?" I gasped. "The one that defeated the giant snake in Ninjago City?"

He blinked, as if he were expecting a different reaction. "Yep, that's me," he said.

"Oh my gosh! I'm actually meeting Lord Garmadon! This is so cool!" I exclaimed.

"Seriously?" he asked. "None of the ninja told you to say this, did they?"

My huge smile faded. "Why would they do that? Of course I'm being serious. Everyone at the orphanage idolizes you," I told him, my smile returning.

"They idolize me?" he questioned, for some reason finding it hard to grasp.

I sighed as if I were explaining this to a five year old. "Yes. We look up to you," I said a bit slower. "Well you and the gold ninja of course. You both saved the city from impending doom. You're both really cool!"

"Would you mind telling Kai that?" Garmadon asked.

"Sure. Which one is he?" I questioned.

"The red ninja," he replied.

"Got it," I said. I grabbed Garmadon's wrist and lead him out to the upper decks. I wanted him to see Kai's reaction because apparently Kai didn't like him. I mean, sure he use to be evil, but he save the city from a snake.

The other ninja looked to us as we walked out. "Oh, so you've met my dad," Alex mumbled. "Great."

"It is great!" I exclaimed. "Garmadon's like the coolest person alive! Uh, no offense Lloyd, but I remember more about the giant snake than I do about the giant dragon."

"Wait, did you just use the name Garmadon and the word coolest in the same sentance?" the red ninja questioned, I assumed it was Kai.

"Yep!" I smiled. "Cooler than you, obviously."

"Wow, what does the world come to when Garmadon is considered cooler than Kai," the blue ninja joked.

"Shut up, Jay," Kai snapped. "Garmadon probably tricked her into saying it."

"Nope," I told him. "When you save the city from a giant reptile, then we'll see who's cooler."

"Technically Garmadon never would've been able to defeat it if it weren't for us," the white ninja pointed out.

"Zane's got a point," the black ninja said, crossing his arms.

I thought for a moment. I didn't remember seeing the ninja helping. "Well Garmadon did the cool part," I said.

"Can't you guys just live with the fact that some people think I'm cool?" Garmadon asked.

"We'll just let the matter drop," Lloyd said.

"Echo, wanna watch us train for a while?" Alex asked. "You could learn a thing or two."

"Okay," I replied. Garmadon walked back down to the lower decks. I sat next to the door as the ninja continued their training on some kind of training course. It looked pretty cool too. They made it look so easy.

Alex glanced at me, like she wanted to make sure I was watching. She smirked and turned to Kai. "Heads up, Hothead," she called. Kai turned to her as she clashed her swords against his red one. No one stopped, as if the two fighting in the middle of the course wasn't surprising. Tove for a brief moment paused to face palm. I thought the punching bag that was spinning around would hit her, but instead it passed right through her. I shivered at the sight, just imagining how creepy that must've felt.

I guess Alex and Kai going at it started something because next thing you knew Jay yelled, "Cole, behind you!"

Cole, the black ninja, spun around and put his sword and block Vanessa's bo staff. "Thought I was gonna get you that time, eh," she mumbled. Lillie drew two daggers and flung herself at Jay. He quickly put up his sword in defense. It seemed Tove couldn't resist an all out battle so she turned and faced Zane. Lloyd slipped away and walked over to me.

"Once again, it goes from training course to sparring," he mumbled.

I stood up. "They're not gonna hurt each other right?" I asked, feeling dumb for having to ask.

"Definately not," Lloyd replied. "It's just to see who's the last one standing. Last week it was Tove, the three weeks before that it was Alex, and all the other times it was me."

"Really?" I questioned. "How come?"

"Well, my powers automatically make me the most powerful, but sometimes I get caught off guard," Lloud explained. "Alex has been training to be a ninja since she was, five I think. Then Tove, well you saw her powers right? It's kinda hard to take down an opponite who can go through you. Lillie can do that too but..." I looked up at Lloyd. He didn't finish the sentance not because he didn't know what to say, but because he was too busy staring dreamily at Lillie. The orange ninja glaced over to him, her cheeks turned a bright pink, and then she face planted onto the deck.

"Is there something wrong with Lillie?" I asked, not trying to be rude. "She looks, say eighteen, and yet..."

"Yet you know more than her? Yeah, she doesn't talk about it much," Lloyd said, his mind obviously elsewhere, probably wondering why. "I think it may have something to do with her parents, but I'm not sure."

I watched them with Lloyd for another moment. "Um, I think I'm gonna go talk with your Sensei," I said. "I just feel there's something I need to tell him." I didn't know what I was talking about. It was like my brain was shut down, but my mouth was up and running.

"Okay," Lloyd said. "I'd better join in anyway." He ran over to them as I walked back to the lower decks. I knew there was something important, a connection I felt with the ninja. I just needed to figure it out.

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**Was that a slow chapter? I kinda just wanted to write something where Echo was getting a feel for what the ninja did. All she knew about them was... That they were ninja. So um... =^_^= (that's a cat face for those who don't know) Review and don't flame!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Guest: Well Wu does know her... but I can't tell you the connection she feels. Too much of a spoiler. **

**Echo discovers her weapon of choice in this chapter! Everyone has one! Even me... O_o JK! Maybe...**

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I walked over to their Sensei's door and was about to knock. I heard noise from the room across the hall. It wasn't my place to evesdrop on these people. After all I was a guest and it probably wasn't even about me. I mean these people hardly knew me! Yet curiousity won over and I found myself slowly walking over and placing my ear on the door.

"Of course not," a woman's voice said. "Garmadon we were only saying..."

"You're hiding something, Misako," Garmadon's voice insisted. "Wu?"

"I would prefer to stay out of this," their Sensei's voice murmured. It had a slight echo to it, like he was about to take a sip out of a cup. I assumed he might have been drinking tea.

"I can't stand it when you two hide things from me," Garmadon mumbled. "It makes me feel like you still can't trust me."

"Garmadon, that's not true," Misako said assuringly. "We trust you with our lives."

"It's just somethings are not ready to be discussed. Not yet," Wu added.

I took a step back. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't really need to know. I walked over to their Sensei's room and slipped inside. I looked around for a moment looking for something but not knowing what. I caught a glimpse of something, black, small, and shining. I turned towards where I saw it and walked over. There was a duffle bag on the floor and it was partly opened. I know I shouldn't have, but I unzipped it the rest of the way.

Inside were about a dozen small knives, all looked exactly same. I picked one up and studied it. The handle to it was about as long at the blade, maybe longer, and the blade was black and shaped like a diamond. There was a small hole at the edge of the handle, probably to make carrying it around easier.

"Kunai," a voice said.

I jumped up, dropping the knife. I spun around to see Alex. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "I was just..."

"It's fine," Alex said. She stayed in the doorway though, as if there was a barrier keeping her from entering all the way. "Kunai are one weapon I'm not sure I'll ever use."

"Why?" I asked. "They seem like regular throwing knives."

Alex smirked like I cracked a mildly funny joke. "They can be used for many things. Throwing them is a possiblity, but you have to hold them a certain way and flick your wrist just right."

Now I was confused. So I said, "I thought you just said you've never used one."

"I haven't, but just by looking at them I can tell you anything about them. They're good for close combat too, though then you can only use one or two at a time," Alex mused. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle a little the more she studied them. "They were forged from pure lava rock. Oh what's it called?"

"Um, igneous rock?" I guessed.

"Yes," Alex confirmed. "Amphibole most likely."

I stared at her for a moment. She could tell all that from just a glance? "How do you know?" I asked, a part of me hoping I could learn.

Alex shook her head and closed her eyes. When they opened it seemed like she'd just come out of a trance. "I'm the Ninja of Weapons. It's easy for my to tell what a weapon is, how it's used, and how it was formed by just looking at it," she said, her voice no longer soft like it was a moment before. She sounded more stern and strong. "Why are you even in my uncle's room anyway?" she asked.

I knelt down and put the kunai away, zipping the bag. "I guess I saw the kunai and got curious," I said. I stood back up and looked to Alex. Part of me was afraid she'd scold me for doing so. I knew I wasn't suppose to be in here, and if I broke the rules then surely I'd be punished.

"Well, be careful," she mumbled. Now I knew how Garmadon felt earlier. I wasn't expecting that reaction. Be careful? Alex must've noted my confused look and added, "Curiosity killed the cat."

I frowned. "That never made sense to me."

"Well, I'm not much of an animal person, but I know cats are often nosey. They stick their noses where they don't belong and sometimes... Well sometimes they end up in an alien invasion in some far away dimension."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

I looked at Alex for a moment. She wasn't like the others, I could tell that now. I saw that sometimes her mind wouldn't be where she was. Like I get sometimes. Alex turned her head and a second later the door across the hall opened. I walked over to Alex and stood by her as her Sensei walked out.

"Hey, Uncle," she started. "We really need to talk."

Wu sighed, like talking was the last thing he wanted to do. "Can it wait until later?" he asked sternly, but gently.

"Of course but not past sunset," Alex replied. "May I use the spirit sticks?"

"Sure," Wu said.

Alex walked into her Sensei's room and shut the door behind her. "What're spirit sticks?" I questioned. I covered my mouth, remembering he didn't want to talk. "Uh, never mind," I said quickly. "Forget I asked."

The Sensei smiled at me. I didn't understand these people. I finally get somewhere where people noticed me, but now that they did, I wanted to fade away again. I guess I'm not much of a 'people person' after all. I'd be the one in the background and after the snake is gone, that's where I planned to go. "Echo," Wu said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I have a questioned," he murmured. "Do you know why Pythor would be after you?"

"Pythor? Oh the snake," I mumbled to myself. It was a good question. I'd never seen the snake before yesterday. I finally shook my head. "No, I don't," I said. "Maybe it thought I was someone else." It was a dumb reason, but it was he only one I could think of.

"That is doubtful but possible," Wu told me.

The white ninja, Zane, walked into the hall. I felt like he temperature dropped a few degrees as he walked over to us. "Sensei, we have a situation," he said in a monotone voice. He glanced and me and I took a step back, knowing the snake Pythor was here.

Sensei Wu nodded. "Echo go into my room and wait there with Alex."

"Okay," I said in a small voice. I went into his room and shut the door. Alex was sitting in meditation with a couple sticks in front of her. They had no flame but smoked.

She opened her eyes and stood up. "Echo, grab a kunai," she instructed. "You may need it."

I didn't question her. I ran to the bag and unzipped it. I took a kunai out and held it firmly in my hand. I looked over to the door and watched it as I went to Alex's side. "Don't... Don't let him get me," I stammered.

"I won't," Alex promised. "You'll be fine."

I trusted the pink ninja. I scooted closer to her and watched the door. I didn't know how well the ninja do against the snake. I'd never seen him fight. Suddenly the door knob turned. Alex drew her swords and I got my kunai ready. The door swung open.

* * *

**So... Pythor's attacking... I know a lot about kunai... Which reminds me, in case you're having trouble picturing one, they're the knives that the ninja on Naruto use. The black ones. Yeah... You can look it up too. It's actually pretty cool and I wish I had one or two or three or, you get the point. So review don't flame!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Gah! I know I'm late, but I can explain! See, on Tuesday I had freshman orientation. Wednsday, I had to work on an application for a camp this summer. As for yesterday... I forgot... So now I'll answer reviews!**

**Guest: All I have to say is "Yes, yes he does."**

**Luna Julien: Nice name! Also, yes Vanessa is suppose to be Canadian. Though since there's "nothing beyond Ninjago" she isn't actually from Canada. **

* * *

There was no one there. For a split second I relaxed, but Alex lunged forward, and her swords clashed off something. Knowing Pythor could turn invisible frightened me. I backed up to the wall, through the window I saw a flash and then heard thunder. Another storm? They weren't even suppose to get one drop of rain this week! I couldn't imagine what everyone else was trying to make of it.

I looked back to Alex as Pythor, still invisible, knocked her into the door. He turned to me and became visible. "Well, well, Echo. Looks like you've found the ninja. Too bad they're no math for me," he smirked.

I gripped the kunai tightly. "What do you even want with me?" I asked, thunder rumbling with my voice.

"You still haven't figured it out? Pity," he mumbled. "Though I suppose I can explain your gift later."

"What gift?" I questioned. "What are you talking about?" Alex looked up at me. She signaled for me to keep talking. She slowly got up and backed out of the door. I thought she was going to leave, but she didn't go too far from the doorway. She signaled again for me to keep talking. "What gift?" I asked in a more demanding tone. The ship swayed a little and thunder boomed.

"Why bother explaining?" Pythor griped. "You obviously don't realize what's happening outside."

I thought for a moment. I couldn't have created the storm. I looked passed to Alex who was trying to connect the dots. "I didn't make the storm," I said. "I couldn't have."

"But you did," Pythor smiled at me like I was a precious gem.

"Guys!" Alex called.

Pythor spun around in annoyance. "Why can't you ninja just except defeat?" he growled.

"Pythor, those are two words that should never be used in the same sentance unless the word 'never' is in front of them," Alex said. The other ninja arrived at her side.

"There's no time for this!" Pythor hissed. He ran at me. I closed my eyes and slashed the kunai in front of me. I must've missed because I felt him wrap his arms around me.

"Let me go!" I yelled, the ship shaking from the storm outside. The kunai fell out of my hand and his grip got tighter. He forced me over to the door.

"Don't even think about stopping me if you want the girl to stay safe," he warned. The ninja hesitated, I guess not knowing whether it was a bluff or not.

"If you think you're leaving here with Echo, you're dead wrong," Kai growled.

It was a stalemate. The ninja nor Pythor moved. I couldn't slip out of his grasp without a distraction. The door across the hall opened and a woman was standing there. She had grey hair that was tied back in braids and emerald eyes. Her outfit... I didn't know what to think. She wore the same clothes as Molly described my mom in. It had to be a coincidence though. She narrowed her eyes at Pythor and spun into a silver vortex. The ninja stepped back like they'd never seen her do that before. She spun over and hit Pythor. I was able to escape him and I ran over to Alex and Lloyd.

When she came out of the vortex Pythor was gone. Alex glanced around and sighed in relief. "He left for now," she said. "Mom, since when have you known Spinjitzu?"

"A long time," she told her. Her voice... She was Misako, the woman that was talking to Wu and Garmadon earlier. She turned to me for a brief second before looking away. "Is everyone all right?"

"Fine," Kai said. He glanced outside. As I calmed down, the storm ceased. Maybe I really did cause it.

"Echo, are you okay?" Misako asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. A little shaken but okay."

Misako looked outside as well. "The storm has passed," she noted.

"Yeah, about that," Alex started. She looked down at me.

I shook my head. "I didn't do it," I insisted. "I don't care what Pythor said. I can't make storms."

Everyone was staring at me, and my cheeks started to burn. Zane took a step towards me and again, the temperature dropped. "Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded, then wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. "It's c-cold near you," I said.

"Um, excuse me?" Zane questioned.

"It's cold around you," I repeated more sternly.

"Well he is the Ninja of Ice," Tove informed me. "Though I've never felt colder around him."

"Neither have I, and I have sixth sense," Alex added.

Zane took a step back, causing the cold to vanish. Misako stared at me for a moment in silence. She closed her eyes for a second before asking, "Echo, has your skin ever been sensitive to heat and cold?"

I slowly nodded. "Yeah. I can't go out during winter without, like, six coats. And in the summer I try not to go out during really hot days. Sometimes the kids at school... Oh crud! I didn't go to school today!" I was freaking out a little. Small grey clouds formed in the sky outside. How could I miss school?! Who knows what the other kids were wondering, not that they noticed me all the time, but when the teachers do role call they will definitely know I'm gone!

"Wait, so you actually wanna go to school?" Alex questioned.

"And learn stuff?" Cole added.

"Are you okay?" Tove asked.

"I happen to like school," I retorted.

"Yeah, until you make it to middle school," Jay commented.

"Eh, I hated middle school," Vanessa mumbled.

I stared at the in confusion. Did they all really hate school? I thought it was fun, for the most part. Sure, some of the kids teased me, but at least the acknowledged that I was there. I looked down, feeling like a geek. "Well, I guess it wouldn't have been safe for my classmates if I went to school with a psychotic snake after me anyways," I pointed out. "They might get hurt."

"And we wouldn't want that," Lloyd agreed. I smiled at Lloyd for a moment. He was so kind and seemed to understand me. Lloyd stared at me for a second before asking, "What?"

"Nothing," I said, looking back down. It was quiet for another moment.

"So," Jay said to break the silence. "We probably should start tracking Pythor, find out his plans."

"Great idea, Jay," Misako agreed.

"Someone take a picture! Jay had a great idea," Tove joked.

"Ha, ha," Jay mumbled. We walked out to the upper decks and up a flight of stairs. We went into a room that seemed to be the main control area.

There was a man working at the computer, which must have been the awesomest computer in all of Ninjago! He turned to us and said, "I've already sent to Falcon out to look for Pythor. I caught a glimpse of him on the heat vision camera." He smiled at me. "This must be Echo."

I nodded but kept my mouth shut. Zane saw I was nervous and said, "Echo this is my father."

"You can call me Dr. Julien," Zane's dad added.

"Oh, hi," I said shyly. The ninja walked over to the monitor, but Misako signaled me to sit with her at the table. I nodded and sat down across from her. "Yeah?"

"What's your mom or dad's number? I wanna call them and tell them you're all right," she said.

I looked down. "I don't have any parents. I live at the orphanage in Ninjago City. Ms. Ceader doesn't care though," I muttered.

Misako looked at me with pain filled eyes. "Is there anyone who would like to know you're safe?" she asked.

I nodded and she handed me the phone. I thought for a moment and dialed Molly's cell number. It rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer. It went to voice mail. "Um, Molly," I started in the message. "I wanted to call and let you know I'm all right. I don't want you getting hurt so just... Just don't come and get me. I'll see you when this blows over. Bye." I hung up the phone and handed it back to Misako. "She didn't answer, I left her a message."

"Do you have an idea about why she didn't answer?" Kai asked, walking over to us. I felt a rush of heat wash over me. It was mild, but it got stronger the closer he got.

"Molly won't answer if she doesn't know the number. She'll probably get the message tonight and call back in the morning," I answered. "She's like that."

"You two seem close," Kai noted. "Do you see her as your sister?"

"More than you could ever know," I mumbled. "She's like the only family that hasn't left me in the dust."

Misako's expression changed. She looked like she was hit with a truck. Then the truck backed up and hit her again. It was painful and uncomfortable. "That's awful," she managed. "I don't see why anyone would leave you behind."

I decided not to say anymore. For all I knew, Misako may have had the same experience as me. Me talking about it might bring up bad memories for her. Well I was ready for a change in subject too. Kai sat down next to me, and I felt like I was going to burst into flames. I swallowed hard and said, "Kai, heat." I felt the heat grow as he looked at me.

"What? Oh, I guess my powers affect you too," he said, mainly to himself. He got up and moved next to Misako. "Better?"

I felt a little better. At least now I could breath easier. I nodded. "Better." It was quiet gor a second. The others were talking, but they seemed so far away for some reason. I smiled and added, "On the bright side, you'll never be able to sneak up on me."

"How is that the bright side?" Kai asked.

"Well, maybe it isn't for you," I said. "But, I'm happy about it." Kai rolled his eyes and Misako smiled at me. I felt comfortable with the ninja for some reason. It was a safe feeling, which I guess should've been natural around the protecters of Ninjago.

Lillie walked over to us. "We're flying into the city," she said. "Pythor's there."

* * *

**So how was that? Took me three days to write. Or maybe two. It's hard to tell. Also... My iPod fell out of my pocket and cracked. I'm writing this and trying to ignore the little lines on my key board. It all still works but uh... Yeah. So review! Don't Flame! And when in doubt; Push random buttons!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my Master of Spinjitzu! I'm a day late... Again! But I have a legit reason. I've been a little sick and yesterday I fell asleep. Gosh I hope I don't have a stomach bug that's contagious because I'm still going to school. I've got perfect attendance to keep. **

**Guest: No, she isn't Misako and Garmadon's child. I can't tell you anything on why she was given to the orphanage. That would be revealing too much and spoil it for everyone. And other powers... None that I can think of...**

**Luna Julien: No problem!**

**PyroPixels: Aw! Well I'm glad I could help make your day!**

* * *

The ninja prepared to head into the city. I tried staying calm, in case Pythor wasn't lying about what caused the storms. Each time a storm happened, I was worked up. As I calmed down, the storm vanished. I decided not to test the theory by allowing myself to get scared. "You wanna come?" Alex asked me.

I was about to answer, but Misako said, "Alex, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Hey, I'll be fine," I assured her. "Besides, I don't think I wanna stay here without all the ninja."

Misako looked like she was about to argue. Then their Sensei came out and said, "She'll be fine, Misako." He walked over to me and slipped me a kunai. I smiled and put it in my pocket.

"Sensei agrees," Cole said, stepping up next to Alex. "We'll make sure nothing happens to Echo."

Alex seemed to blush, being so close to Cole. If you were paying attention to it, it was obvious she liked him, but she kept a straight face. If you just glanced at her, you wouldn't see the pink in her face. I didn't jut glance at people though. I saw her blushing. She obviously liked Cole, which to me was gross. I don't have anything against Cole, he seems cool, it's just boys in general are gross.

"Let's go," Kai said. "We need to hurry or we might lose him."

"Lose the snake? Wouldn't that be a good thing?" I asked.

"We still need to know why Pythor's after you," Zane said.

I nodded in understandment. I guess I wanted to know too why Pythor was after me. We headed into the city. I walked with Alex and Lloyd as we split up to search the city. Splitting up, I thought that was a stupid idea since we'd be stronger in a group, but I said nothing. Alex and Lloyd were quiet as we walked. I stayed silent, not wanting to distract them.

We were starting down Fifth Street when I stopped. I knew this section well. Alex stopped and looked back to me. "What's wrong, Echo?" she asked.

"The orphanage," I replied, looking down the street a little ways. "It's right down the street and Molly's probably there. It's almost fourish."

"Do you wanna stop by?" Lloyd asked me. "We could stop in for a moment."

I wanted to immediately say yes, but I thought it out in my head. "No," I decided. "If I went back, Ms. Ceader won't let me leave again."

Alex and Lloyd exchanged looks. "Well, okay," Alex said. "We can't just leave you at the orphanage."

"No, it'll put he other kids in danger," I agreed. "Let's just keep moving."

We walked down the street. As I passed the orphanage, I felt a surge of panic. What if I never saw the orphanage again, and I never saw Molly again? Molly was the only person who ever cared for me in the first place. Sure, the ninja were nice, but they were just doing their job. I shivered in the warmth of the day as we continued on ward.

I saw a flash of purple out of the corner of my eye. I turned to find nothing, but nonetheless I ran and wrapped my arms around Lloyd. I instantly felt a little safer with him, but I knew I saw something. Alex must've seen it too, because she slowly glanced around, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. Lloyd pulled me closer, a look of determination in his eyes. I however pulled out the kunai Wu gave me.

"I sense Pythor," Alex said after a moment of silence. "I don't see him though."

"He can turn invisible," I mumbled.

"I would still be able to see him," Alex told me. "My eyes work differently."

I looked around, trying to force my eyes to work differently too. Something told me it didn't work that way though, and Alex could probably only do it because of her years of ninja training. It was also obvious she had sixth sense because she said she could sense Pythor.

"Keep moving," Lloyd said. "That's what we need to do."

"Maybe meet up with the others?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "It's better to all be together." She glanced at me, but looked away when her eyes rested on the kunai in my hand. She said she wouldn't use kunai, I guess I was making it tempting to her. I slipped the small black knife back into my pocket.

We continued down the street. I kept seeing something purple out of the corner of my eyes. Pythor could turn invisible, but he knew Alex could see him. I glanced back and saw nothing. Maybe he was messing with my head, trying to frighten me. It was working, but I didn't want to show it, didn't want him to think he was succeeding. I needed to be brave.

Alex stopped as we reached a curb. "Wait, if this is Twenty-first street, and we're heading to Anchor Avenue we need to head west right? Down King Drive?" She turned to me and Lloyd.

"How do you not know where we're going? You lived in the city for a while didn't you?" Lloyd questioned.

"Well, yeah. It was for about six months and mainly around the dojo," Alex replied. She looked to me. "You have any idea where to go?"

I shrugged and mumbled, "Twenty-first street? I'm pretty sure we continue north into Brad Road, then head east."

"That's sounds right," Alex agreed, like she knew the whole time. "We'll meet up with Zane and Tove there."

As we waited for the sign to switch to 'walk', I heard a hiss behind us. I quickly spun around to see nothing. I felt so parinoid! Dark clouds covered the sky above us. For a split second, a purple snake appeared in the shadows, a huge grin on his face. Calm down, I told myself. I couldn't get worked up and let Pythor get what he wanted, and he obviously wanted me to use my powers. Lloyd broke me from my thoughts as he pulled me across the street.

"Echo, you need to stay calm," Alex reminded me.

"I... I know," I stammered. "It's just hard."

Alex nodded, like she genuinely understood how hard it was. "Yeah."

Lloyd nudged Alex, but I didn't know why. Alex looked at him and her face darkened. She nodded and slowed down a little. I started to turn to her, but Lloyd whispered, "Keep walking."

I moved closer to Lloyd and kept walking. I felt like I should turn around and helped Alex. I knew she was facing Pythor. We stopped and turned onto Anchor Avenue. Zane and Tove met up with us a few houses down the street. They noticed Alex's absence but said nothing about it.

"We need to head back to the Bounty," Zane said. "Cole, Kai, Vanessa, and Lillie will meet up with us later."

"And where's Jay?" I asked, not knowing where he was.

Tove pursed her lips. "He didn't report back."

"Then we have to find him first," I said.

"No, we need to get you out of Pythor's grasp," Lloyd told me.

I felt my blood boil. They couldn't just leave Jay. "No, we have to find Jay," I insisted.

"Echo," Zane started sternly.

I didn't care what they had to say! Jay was missing and unless he reported in the next five seconds, I was set on finding him. "No," I interupted him. Thunder rumbled from the clouds above. "We need to find Jay."

Tove looked up at he sky. She glanced at me for a moment. "Hate to say it, but I think Pythor was right about your powers. How he knew, that's the real mystery now isn't it?"

I looked at her. I didn't want what was happening to be my powers. The sky was turning a shade of grey, something that would look beautiful if it wasn't coloring the storm clouds. The thunder rolled every so often and the winds picked up a little. Lots of people started fleeing to their houses, leaving us practically alone on the street. This couldn't be right. I didn't cause distruction.

"Echo," Lloyd said, kneeling down next to me. "Just take a deep breath and calm down."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled. The sky lightened a little and the thunder stopped. "Okay, I get that you guys want to keep me away from Pythor, and that Jay has had ninja training, but we can't just leave without finding him," I said calmly. "Can we just look around where he was suppose to search?"

The three exchanged looks. "We'll check it out," Zane finally said. We started west.

* * *

There was no sign of Jay. We search for thirty minutes and didn't find any trace of him. I was about to tell them we could head back, but something caught my eyes. I turned and walked over into an alley. On the ground, smashed to bits, was the ear piece Jay had. How did I know it was Jay's? It was blue and had his lightning element in it. It seemed all the ninja used that to mark theirs so they knew if it was theirs if they found one.

I picked up the bigger pieces, not wanted toget cut by the smaller pieces. I stood up and walked out. The others were gone. For a moment, I thought they forgot about me and left me. Like everyone else, they probably didn't notice I wasn't there. I dropped the pieces onto the ground and backed up, feeling embarrassed. An arm wrapped around me, and a hand covered my mouth.

The sky turned dark black. I was pulled back into the alley. I struggled as hard as I could, but I wasn't strong enough. A purple tail uncovered he manhole in the ground. Underground. No. I tried screaming. I couldn't go underground. I never understood it, but I had a pathological fear of being underground. It wasn't that I was afraid of it caving in on me. It wasn't the dark. It was just being underground.

The wind picked up and the arms loosened. I pulled away and turned to my attacker. It was Pythor. He reacted quickly and grabbed my wrist. "Stop!" I cried out as he pulled me to the manhole. "Just leave me alone!"

"I can't do that," Pythor hissed. He pulled me into the sewers and my heart started racing. He pulled the manhole cover back over the hole, and everything went black.

* * *

**This took longer to write than the other chapters. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I knew she was going to get caught, but I didn't know how. So that's it. Right there. Yes. Have I broken down the fourth wall? Oh well, I won't do it this time. Review, but no flames. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Guest: I'm not sure how to respond to that without spoiling it... I think the answer is in this chapter, but I'm not sure...**

**Yeah, yeah, I'm a day late. [Insert Valid Excuse Here]. We cool? Cool. **

* * *

I sat down in the cell, with my knees pressed against my chest. I was shaking with fear. Pythor had brought me down here, tossed me in, and left. I never felt so alone or forgotten in my life. Pythor finally had me, but all he did was put me in a cell, deep underground. I was there for ten minutes before I heard noise. I shakily my got up as the door opened. Before I could make a run for it, the ninja were pushed into the cell.

Lloyd hurried over to me and examined me, probably afraid I was hurt. He wrapped his arms around me and I shook even more. First he leaves me alone, then he acts like it never happened. I felt tears hot on my face. Alex hit the wall and slid down to the floor. I guess she has anger issues. The others paced or sat down to think. Tove turned invisible for a moment, then stomped her foot.

"Venge stone," Zane noted.

"So powers are out," Lloyd mumbled.

"And I'm weaponless," Alex said. "Of all the evil villains to be captured by, it had to be one who knew I carried back ups!"

Cole looked to me. "Echo, are you okay?" he asked.

I slowly nodded. "I j-just don't like it undergr-ground," I told him, still shaking. He frowned, and I realized that he wouldn't have a single relation, being the Ninja of Earth.

Jay walked over to me and knelt down. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

I nodded. "I wouldn't leave you behind."

Lloyd and I sat down next to Alex. Cole leaned against the wall next to Alex, Jay sat down close by, Zane started meditating, Tove, Lillie, and Vanessa paced in the room, and Kai was trying I open the door. I put my hand on my pocket, feeling the kunai Wu gave me. I looked to Alex. She said she wouldn't use a kunai, but if it could help us...

I pulled it out and offered it to her. "I have a weapon," I said. "Wu gave it to me, and if you can help..."

Alex scrambled to her feet, grabbing Cole's hand, who looked surprised by it. She stared at the kunai. "I can't," she murmured. "I just... I..."

Kai walked over and frowned. "Alex, you're going to have to. Your powers aren't affected by venge stone."

Alex shook her head, squeezing Cole's hand. "You don't understand. Everyone has limits. Mine cuts short of the kunai."

I quickly put the knife away. "Okay," I said. "I was just offering. I didn't know."

Alex blinked, her eyes changing like they did before. It was like she was in a trance. She released Cole's hand and blushed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, sitting back down. "I feel like a loser."

"Limitations does not make you a loser," Cole told her.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Right."

I moved closer to Lloyd. For a brief moment I had forgotten we were underground, but it came flooding back to me. I felt so helpless and hopeless. Even being next to Lloyd didn't make me feel safe. I closed my eyes as Lloyd wrapped his arms around me. What I wouldn't give to have a normal fear, like being afraid of spiders. It was silent for a moment. The air was full of tension, waiting for someone to break the silence with good news or a plan.

"Hello, ninja," a voice hissed. I opened my eyes and looked up at Pythor who was standing at the closed door. "Enjoying your stay?"

"Why are you imprisoning us?" Tove demanded. "Actually let me restate that. I understand why us, but why Echo? What has she done?"

"Nothing yet," Pythor said. "But with her powers, I can imprison all of Ninjago underground forever." I shivered at the thought.

"What makes you think I'll just help you?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll help if you want your friend back," Pythor grinned.

My heart stopped and my eyes widened. "Where's Molly?" I asked, rising to my feet. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, but I'll kill her if you refuse to help," Pythor threatened.

I felt anger and hatred pulse through me. I should've known he'd use her against me at some point. Then I realized he was serious about it. I felt like a lost puppy. I couldn't let him hurt Molly. She was the closest thing I had for a family, and she wasn't even my real family. On the other hand, I couldn't help him take over Ninjago. I could help, and ensure my friend's safety, or refuse and have her killed. I couldn't choose.

"Echo," Lillie said. "Don't help him. He probably doesn't even have Molly."

"Bu I do," Pythor cut in. "Shall I bring her here?"

"Yes," I replied before anyone could object. Pythor vanished, literally, from the doorway. I clenched my fists. I hoped he was bluffing.

"Echo, you cannot allow Pythor to get his way," Zane said, a chilling breeze washing over me.

"But what if he has Molly," I asked, turning to him. "I can't just let him kill her." I was shaking. I could careless about being underground, if Molly was in danger, I needed to help her.

Pythor returned. He opened the door just long enough to push Molly in and shut the door. He left again. I hurried over to Molly, her hands were tied behind her back. I pulled out the kunai and she turned around. I cut the rope and put the kunai away. Molly turned to me and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back and felt tears rush down my face.

It was silent until Molly looked up and snapped, "What's wrong with you? You're suppose to be ninja, but you let Echo get captured."

The ninja all stared at her, probably thinking, 'She did not just tell us off.' I looked up at Molly and said, "No, it was my own fault. Jay was missing and I insisted we didn't leave until we found him."

Molly smiled at me. "You can be so stubborn."

I looked to the other ninja. They still hadn't said anything. I felt like I was back at the breakfast table after Ms. Ceader's arguement with Molly. It was all quiet and no one felt like talking. I moved closer to Molly, and unlike with Lloyd, I felt safe with her.

Finally Alex said, "Back to the topic of getting out. Pythor prepared for all our best moves, what do you two got?"

Molly shrugged. "Nothing that can help."

"Echo, try your powers, eh," Vanessa suggested.

"Powers?" Molly questioned.

"I can't," I said, starting to shake a little again. "N-not underground."

"Okay, then don't even try," Molly told me. "It's okay. It would make sense your powers don't work underground."

"How would you know?" Kai asked. "You don't understand the first thing about powers!"

"Oh yeah? Well you guys don't know the first thing about Echo," Molly argued. "Don't think I can't tell you've left her alone, maybe even more than once."

"What's your point?" Tove asked, crossing her arms.

"Echo's been left alone enough times," Molly said. "Left alone and forgotten. I'm the only one who knows better."

"Molly, we won't ever forget about Echo," Lloyd promised. "And we won't ever leave her alone again."

"Wait," I said. "Why did you leave me alone before?"

Lloyd rubbed his arm. "Uh, we thought we saw something. Then Pythor attacked us."

I looked down. How could one snake be so powerful, powerful enough to take down all the ninja, and then still need my powers to take over Ninjago? There was a noise from outside that snapped me from my thoughts. Molly pulled me closer as she backed up. I'd never seen fear in her eyes until now. The ninja got ready to attack, guarding us.

Pythor appeared at the door. "Echo, the clock's ticking. Which will it be?" he asked with a devious grin.

I stepped defensively in front of Molly. "I'm not helping you, or letting you hurt Molly," I said.

Pythor scowled. "That's not an option. I've already set up for her death. The only way you can save her is by helping me."

"I'm not helping you, and if you want to hurt Molly you have to go through me," I growled.

"Oh I don't have to go anywhere," Pythor hissed. As if on cue, Molly dropped to her knees, holding her stomach. Her face became sickly pale. I dropped to her side. I couldn't believe it. "Now, if you want me to give your friend the antivenom, you're going to help me."

I felt my heart racing. I didn't have time to think. Every second I wasted, was another second closer to Molly's death. I stood up. "Fine!" I cried out. "You win. I'll help you, just give Molly the antivenom!"

"Echo," Lloyd said, trying to change my mind.

Before I could turn to Lloyd, Pythor asked, "Do I have your word?"

I nodded. "Yes!"

Pythor opened the door, tossing Alex a vile. "Now you have a choice girl, it can cure anything. Use it as you please." He grabbed my arm and we started walking out of the cell. Lloyd ran towards Pythor, and the snake put his staff up to block him. "We'll have none of that."

We departed the room. "So what exactly do you want me to do?" I asked.

"I want you to create a storm, big enough to cover all of Ninjago. They'll flee underground, and I'll lock them away. Then I'll find my comrads and free them," Pythor hissed. "And once again, Ninjago will be ours."

"Uh, yeah, brilliant plan," I said. "Except one problem: I don't know how to use my powers."

"It's really quite simple. You've used them before, so just do what you normally do," Pythor told me.

I shifted nervously as we walked down the corridor. I needed to come up with a plan to stall. That way the ninja could escape and stop Pythor. He had my word I'd help him, just not right away. "Well they only activate when I get mad, and I don't get mad very easily," I said.

"Mad or scared," he mumbled. "I'll just need to find a way to either make you angry or scared."

I chuckled. "That's funny, really. But I'm really fine now. I know you, you know me, everything's fine, I'm not scared or mad."

Pythor glared at me. "Are you trying to stall? Aren't you doing it a bit early?"

My cheeks turned red. "Uh..." I quickly thought of an excuse. "Stall? What does that mean?"

"What do you mean by, what does that mean?" Pythor asked.

"I don't know what stall means," I replied. "I'm only seven!"

"Echo, I've watched you since I've known about your powers," Pythor snapped. "You're smarter than an average seven year old."

I started fiddling with the bottom of my shirt. I needed a better lie. He was right, I am smarter than the average seven year old. I can figure some way to stall. We reached the end of the hall. Pythor motioned for me to walk up the steps. I nodded and walked up, light surrounding me as the sun warmed my skin.

* * *

**Was this long? Was it a long chapter? Oh well. Anyone wanna guess why Echo has a fear of being underground? Just put two and two together. **

**Echo: Four? Or is this suppose to be fish?**

**I thought we decided not to break down the fourth wall!**

**Echo: And I thought you decided to play Just Dance to be active. **

**... ... I have no comment. Just... Just review, but don't... Don't flame. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to all of you who have put up with some of my late chapters and for reviewing. It really makes my day when I open my e-mail and a review pops up. So here's the next chapter. It's the longest so far.**

* * *

It felt great being above ground. If I wasn't kinda a hostage to a psychotic snake, I would've savored the moment. I looked up at the clear sky, it was so peaceful. I could only imagine what was going on in the city. They had no idea what would happen if I lost control. My powers caused destruction. Pythor should've just left me in the cell underground. If he got a storm, I'd make sure it destroyed everything so the serpentine couldn't have it. I wouldn't let him get what he wanted.

"Now, let's discuss what kind of storm it needs to be," Pythor said, grabbing my wrist tightly.

I winced a little. "What do you mean?"

"I say a tornado with a snow storm and enough static in the air for tons of lightning," Pythor mumbled.

"Can it just be a storm?" I asked.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Pythor snapped. "It has to be precise."

"Okay," I said, yanking my arm away from Pythor. "So a lightning snow-nado storm? That's three seperate storms, and I don't even know how to make one!"

"You'll figure it out," he grinned.

I didn't like this, not one bit. I looked around the area. I was in a forest. I could probably run through and escape. Then I could find the Bounty and get Misako, Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien. Good plan, my only plan. Now I just needed to distract him so I could have a head start. Every second counts! "So..." I said. "I can make this storm, and then the ninja and Molly stay safe right?"

"Sure," Pythor muttered, turning away most likely so I couldn't tell he was lying. That's what I expected to happen. I bolted, my feet making no noise as it touched the ground. I figured I had less than a minute before Pythor realized I left.

I looked around, trying to remember the forest from our school field trip. We'd came here to talk about different types of plants and animals. We saw a couple deer but that was it. The boys in my class pretended to have guns, yelled "boom" as loud as they could, and scared the deer off. So much for being close to nature. I thought the trip was a total waste of time until now. I could navigate my way back to city limits. Then finding a flying ship would be a piece of cake. Time was the problem. What if I wasn't fast enough?

I started up a small hill. The city was right over it, down it a little ways. If I was lucky, the Bounty would be overhead soon too. Apparently I wasn't lucky today. I tripped over my own two feet and fell face first into the grass. I was dazed for a moment. That moment was just long enough for Pythor to catch up. While I was still dazed, he grabbed me by the back of my shirt and lifted me to my feet. He spun me around. He looked mad. Like... Dump somebody's hot chocolate into the snow mad. Trust me, someone did it to me before and I was not happy about it. Not one bit!

"You little pest!" he hissed. "I'd end you now if I didn't still need you!"

I felt my heart begin to race. The sky started to darken. _No!_ I told myself. _Not now!_ I calmed myself down and the sun peeked back out, not that it mattered. No one was coming to help me. I'd have to make the storm.

Next thing I knew, a rock hit Pythor in the head. Not a tiny pebble, this rock was he size of my fist, maybe bigger. Pythor turned his head, dropped me onto the ground, and vanished. I felt daze again. My head had hit the ground twice in the last minute. It hurt. Two figures came into my view, but they just seemed like silhouettes. Though just by that, I thought about my parents. They looked like how Molly had described them from what I could see.

"Echo," a familiar voice said as the figure to my left knelt down to me. "Are you okay?"

"Back," I mumbled, not having a clue what I was saying. "M-Mom?" My vision began to fade, my head throbbed in pain. I didn't want it to fade though. Even if I was hallucinating, it was the first time I felt like no one would ever forget me again. Someone had saved me, and I thought it was my parents. It faded until I went unconsious.

* * *

When I came to I sat up immediately, thinking it was all a dream. I looked around and found myself in yet a different room. There was nothing but a bed, a nightstand, a few chairs, and a door. I watched the door for a moment, wondering if Pythor caught me again. It seemed to nice though. Too nice and comforting. Misako walked in, and I was relieved to see a familiar face.

"Echo, I'm glad you're awake," she said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," she replied. "You came running up the hill and tripped. Pythor appeared, but we scared him off. Then you mumbled 'back' and... and you called me 'Mom'."

I felt my cheeks turn red. I looked down. "Uh... I'm sorry. I just... Molly told me a story and you looked like her. Though I couldn't see very well, everything was going black, and I don't know how I knew."

"It's fine," Misako told me. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

I bit my lip. "Others," I mumbled. "Pythor has them."

Misako's face darkened. She looked worried. "We figured that was why you came back from a different direction and alone. Nya went to locate them. Alex and Lloyd, they aren't hurt right?"

I shook my head. "They were fine when I was taken out." Misako silently sighed in relief. "And," I continued. "Pythor had Molly. I had to agree to help him in order to save her. He poisoned her."

Misako walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "It'll be okay," she told me. "She's fine now, right?" I nodded. "The ninja won't let Pythor hurt her again."

I slowly nodded again. Pythor wasn't even back at the tunnel. I didn't know how, but I knew he wasn't. "We need to go find them," I insisted.

"We'll go help, but you're staying here with Dr. Julien and Wu," Misako said.

"But I wanna..."

"Garmadon and I will find them," Misako assured me. "You just stay here and rest."

I sighed. A part of me was screaming, 'You should be thankful!' Obviously that part of me wasn't listening he part that knew Pythor was waiting. Wu walked in the room. For a split second, I could picture him as my dad. That couldn't be right though because I had thought for a moment Misako was my mom. Misako and Garmadon were a couple. Alex and Lloyd were their kids. I must've hit my head too hard. How could I consider this?! My parents left me. I won't see them again.

"Garmadon's ready," Wu said.

"Okay," Misako said. She studied me for a moment, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Everything will be fine this time. I'll make sure of it."

I figured she meant she wouldn't let Pythor get me again. "Okay," I said.

She hesitated and got up. She walked out of the door, glancing at Wu before leaving. They were hiding something. If only I could read minds! Wu walked over to me and sat in a chair. He stared rummaging in the nightstand drawer, pulling out a small bottle. I covered my mouth with both hands.

"Echo," he sighed. "You have to take some Tylenol. It'll help."

"No!" I said, refusing to move my hands. "I hate medicine. Ms. Ceader always shoved it down our throats."

"I won't shove it down your throat, but you have to take it," Wu said.

"No way," I said. "My head doesn't even..." I winced. Yeah, way to jinx it. I mentally slapped myself.

"Uh, huh," Wu mumbled, hiding a smile. "You know, Alex and Lloyd acted just like this when they were little."

"You helped take care of them?" I asked, moving my hands slightly away from my mouth. It wasn't enough for Wu to get the Tylenol in my mouth.

Wu nodded. "We all lived in one monastery." He studied me for a moment. "Echo..." he started, but never got a chance to finish. A loud crash noise echoed outside.

I dropped my hands. "What was that?"

Wu didn't answer. He stuck the Tylenol in my mouth and clasped his hand over my mouth. "We'll go see what it was after you swallow it."

I mumbled under my breath and took the Tylenol. Then I swung my legs over the bed and Wu removed his hand. We slowly made our way to the door. He stood to one side and I stood to the other side. Wu pushed the door open and peered out. I felt like we we were playing army, but if it was Pythor than this was no game. He signaled for me to follow and we walked out onto the deck, standing back to back.

Dr. Julien ran out onto the deck, scaring me half to death. "What happened?" he asked.

"We don't know," Wu said.

"Maybe Pythor got on the ship," I suggested.

"That is a possiblity," Wu agreed.

"We should check around," Dr. Julien said. "But Alex is the only one who can see him."

"So there's no point in splitting up and searching. We'll check the cameras, try and find him with the thermal camera."

We ran up to the bridge. I sat down next to the wheel while Wu and Dr. Julien messed with the cameras. To think, just two days ago I was at the orphanage wishing for something to happen. Now I was trying to escape a mad snake that was out to force Ninjago underground. After a while, Dr. Julien and Wu looked to me. "Well he isn't here," Dr. Julien said. "We've tried every setting and there's no sign of him."

I nodded and looked down. I needed to stay calm and not get scared. If I did, Pythor would get his storm. Wu walked over to me. "Echo, let's go outside and take your mind off what's been happening," he suggested. "So your powers don't act up."

I wasn't sure how he knew about that, but I nodded and stood up anyways. I walked out of the bridge with Wu while Dr. Julien stayed behind. We walked down to the decks and Wu turned to me. "So what are we doing?" I asked.

"Would you like to play a game?" Wu asked me.

"Sure!" I exclaimed. "Let's play... Army base."

Wu smiled. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

For an old man, Wu was excellent at army base. We played for five minutes, and we each won twice. I'd just about forgotten about what was happening. During the entire game, nothing abnormal happened. It was like I had a normal life.

We were on round five, the tie breaker. I slowly snuck towards the mass. I glanced around the empty deck. I've learned that Wu was stealthy, quick, and clever. He could've came from anywhere, so to make it fair he hid his object, in this case an old scroll, in the same place. Right as I got to the mass, I felt gentle arms wrap around me. "Got you!" Wu said.

I squealed a little, giggling as he swung me and set me down away from the mass. For a quick moment, I once again saw Wu as my dad. I felt a strike of grief. I sighed and walked to the edge of the Bounty, sitting down. Wu walked over to me. "Wu," I said, looking up. "Do you think my parents will ever come back for me?"

Wu slowly sat down next to me. "I do not know," he replied. "Have you ever met your parents?"

"No," I mumbled. "They left me when I was a baby. Molly saw them when they dropped me off at the orphanage but... Well she'd know them if she saw them again."

Wu looked like he was trying to hold something back. He stared blankly at the ground below. Before I could ask what was wrong, something grabbed my legs and tried pulling me off the Bounty. I screamed and Wu grabbed my hands. "Hold on Echo," he told me.

I tried holding on, but whatever had my legs was strong. I felt myself slipping out of Wu's grasp. "Can't, hold on," I gasped.

"Yes you can," Wu insisted. "I can't lose you again."

I didn't have time to question what he said. I slipped and was pulled to the ground. I flipped back and landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me. As I tried to catch it, Pythor appeared leaning over me. "Thought you could get away, hmmm?" he asked. "Think again little girl."

I started to push myself up. "Pythor," I strained. "Just leave... me alone." I was still trying to catch my breath. Pythor grabbed my arm and hoisted me up. Wu jumped down and hit Pythor with his bamboo staff. Pythor dropped me and I caught myself.

"Leave here now," Wu ordered.

"I'm not leaving without the girl!" Pythor hissed.

I felt a cold breeze rush over me. I shivered, and next thing I knew, Zane was in front of me. Lloyd and Molly rushed to my side an helped me up. I wrapped my arms around Molly, and Lloyd looked a bit jealous. Molly pulled me back a little. "Let's go," she whispered to me. "The ninja will take care of it."

I nodded and backed away with Molly. The other ninja came into my view and started to attack Pythor. The snake hissed and vanished. "Cole, left sweep kick," Alex called, running to Cole's side.

Cole did a sweep kick and Pythor reappeared as he tumbled backwards. Alex knocked Pythor down and placed the tip of her blade to Pythor's neck. "Stop!" Pythor hissed at Alex.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right here and now," Alex growled.

"Because, I... I know where he is!" Pythor said.

"Who?" Lloyd asked.

Pythor smirked. "It was to be a last resort, in case I got in this situation, but it's time to tell you." Misako and Garmadon each to mine and Molly's sides. "I know where Lucas is."

Alex looked like someone slapped her abruptly. She stared at Pythor for a moment, loosening her grip. Then she narrowed her eyes at him and gripped her sword tighter. "Liar!" she yelled. She really looked like she was going to kill Pythor for just saying the name, 'Lucas'.

Misako hurried over to Alex and put her hand on her shoulder. "Alex," I heard her whisper.

Alex pulled her sword away. "Leave now," she snapped. "Unless you want me to kill you."

Everyone watched in silence as Pythor vanished. For a moment I thought he'd come for me, but nothing happened after that. We all started boarding the Bounty. Garmadon invited Molly to stay the night since it was getting late. Alex didn't say anything as we laid in the girls' room. In fact it was silent.

Molly got sick of it and asked, "Does anyone want to hear a story?"

"Yes!" I replied, sitting up.

"I love stories!" Lillie cheered.

"Sure," Tove mumbled.

"I guess, eh," Vanessa said.

Alex said nothing.

"Okay, his story is about... Hmmm..." Molly closed her eyes. "How about the boy on the street?"

"I've never heard that one," I said. "Tell it!"

Molly smiled. "Okay, now this is a secret story. You can't repeat it to anyone!" We all promised not to, and Molly began her story.

* * *

**So the story will be in the next chapter. I wanted a cliff hanger... I hate them, so I assume you do too. Just be glad the chater didn't end with, "Echo summoned her strength, and the massive storm appeared." So review, no flaming. **


	10. Chapter 10

**OMG! On Monday I went to an Ennio concert—he's a Spanish singer—and I got to talk to him, get my picture taken, and I got his autograph! Best day ever!**

**Guest: Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. I can't tell you who her parents are though. That would spoil my fun!**

**Luna Julien: I'm glad you like it!**

* * *

"It was about nine years ago, I was five. It was a warm Tuesday, only partly cloudy, but there was a chance of a lightning storm for the late afternoon," Molly said, her eyes closing so often to remember detail. "The wind was blowing to the east, just enough so it didn't seem too hot. It was candy selling season so my two roommates and I were out in our section of the city. Alisa decided to head into a house by herself, seven thirty-five Dale Drive, so she told Jamie to walk down the street with me a little and she agreed."

"You remember all this?" Tove asked.

"Molly has almost perfect memory," I told her.

"Yes, now stop interupting," Molly chided. "Where was I... Ah yes! As we walked down the street, an older boy, say the age of sixteen or so, came running down the street. I'd never seen anyone older than fifteen so terrified. The boy had shaggy maroon hair, carmel colored eyes, pale skin almost the cover of milk, and his clothes... They were cut and shredded everywhere. The poor boy looked like he'd been beat."

I caught my breath. I'd been beaten a little before too. Molly pulled me closer to her to show it was all right. She shared my pain. Everyone at the orphanage did...

"He spotted Jamie and I and stopped. Jamie asked the boy if he needed help, she was the same age as him," Molly continued. "The boy just gasped, 'No! No I just need a message delivered! Please, you can't get caught in this!' By that point Jamie and I figured his parents were abusing him. I offered to call the police. He looked down at me, on the verge if tears. He said, 'That's not nessisary, brave one.' He handed Jamie a crumpled up piece if paper and took off a different direction."

"What happened to him?" Alex asked, the first thing she said since Pythor left.

"We don't know. Jamie had silently read the letter. She slid it in her pocket and we went to find the boy," Molly replied. "We didn't. After Jamie moved out, she passed the letter down to Alisa. She was adopted and passed the letter down to me. I read it but..." Her voice faltered.

"What did it say, eh?" Vanessa questioned.

Molly swallowed hard. "It was a message to his sister. He needed her help. I don't even know where the boy could be by now or if he's even still alive. None of us were able to find his sister either."

"Who's it addressed to?" Tove asked.

"Alexandra," Molly replied.

Alex's face darkened. She glared at her hands like she was mad at herself. I turned back to Molly. "Couldn't you have told a story with a happy ending?" I asked.

Molly pulled me close and whispered softly, "The boy who signed it... His name was Lucas."

I understood now why she told it. Pythor had mentioned a Lucas. I tried connecting the dots. Alex got mad when Pythor mentioned his name and said he couldn't know where Lucas was. Then she got mad at herself when she found out who the letter was to. Maybe Alexandra was... "May I see the letter?" Alex asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

Molly nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. She got up and walked over to Alex, handing her the letter. Alex stared at the letter like it was in a forein language. "Uh, the boy who wrote it must've been in a hurry," Molly said. "It took me a while to figure out exactly what he wrote."

Alex's expression didn't change. Adventually she sighed and put the letter in her nightstand. "We should get to sleep," she said.

Molly came back to the makeshift bed and laid down with me. I closed my eyes and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

We woke up and Alex was gone. Her bed was neatly made and she was gone. Tove walked into the room. "I can't find her!" she exclaimed. "She just disappeared! Well, not the way I do."

"She has to be somewhere, eh!" Vanessa said.

I got up and walked over to Alex's nightstand. I opened he drawer. There was a flower with multicolored petals, a knife, a hair tie and an old ninja suit probably small enough for me. No letter. "She went to find the boy who wrote the letter," I told them. "It's gone too."

"What?" Molly questioned, a horrified look in her eyes. "Oh... Well maybe she's the one it was addressed for. Alex could be short for Alexandra."

"It is," Tove said. "I didn't think she'd just go off on her own though."

"That sure sounds like Alex to me," Lillie cut in.

"We have to go find her," Nya decided. "What did the letter say?"

"That some kid named Lucas was trapped in some kind of fort. Half of it wasn't really english. I couldn't disipher it," Molly said. "I just... I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"It's fine," Nya sighed. "Alex is smart, she'll be fine."

"What makes this Lucas guy so special?" Cole asked, standing in the door way.

I couldn't help but giggle. "What? You jealous?"

Cole's cheeks turn a bit red. "I don't know what you're talking about." The rest of us laughed. "What?" Cole demanded.

"Nothing," Lillie giggled. She cleared her throat. "Just stuff."

"I'm pretty sure Lucas is her brother," I said.

"Oh," Cole said, his face growing a brighter shade of red. "Of course."

We decided to let the matter drop. Alex was tough, she could handle a trip to a fort... A fort? Why did that seem wrong to me? Maybe Molly meant to say something else, but I trusted her word either way. We headed to the upper decks and Molly and I sat back as the ninja trained. I closed my eyes a little and dozed off for a moment.

Molly gentlely shook me. "Echo," she whispered. I opened my eyes to see the ninja still training. "We need to talk. I..." her voice faltered again. She took a deep breath. "The letter it..."

"Echo!" a voice called from the lower decks. It sounded like Misako.

"Can it wait?" I asked Molly.

Molly bit her lip for a moment. "I guess."

I stood up and headed down to the lower decks. I peeked into Misako and Garmadon's room, but no one was there. I looked into Wu's room, empty. I started down to hall and found another set of stairs. I walked down and looked around. "Hello?" I called.

"Over here, Echo!" Misako's voice called.

I walked down and started towards the voice. Suddenly, a woman walked out from behind the engine. It was definately not Misako. She had a black tattered dress, black high heels, long dirty blonde hair, and indigo eyes that glowed brightly. She smiled at me, a slight sparkle to her teeth. Her right leg had a few light marks on it, and she had a presence so powerful, even I was able to sense it.

"Echo," she said in Misako's voice then in a different voice added, "Nice to meet you."

I didn't know what to think about her. She didn't seem like an enemy to me. "Hi," I said. "So, who are you?"

The woman chuckled. "Well, my name is Kimberly, but I go by Kim."

I studied her for another moment. For a second, just a second, I thought she turned translucent. "Are you a ghost?" I impulsively asked.

The woman's smile grew. "A spirit, yes. A ghost? Heavens no! I do not haunt common people, I only speak with people who catch my eye. Young Echo, you wish to know more about your family, correct?"

I didn't know whether to trust her or not. If I could sense her presence, that couldn't be good. Yet, her voice was so welcoming and calm. Her smile was beautiful. "What do you know about my family?" I asked.

"Oh, everything!" she exclaimed with a twinkle in her indigo eyes. "In fact, I am your father's, mother's sister. Your great aunt."

I blinked. "R-really?" I questioned. "Are you allowed to tell me this stuff?"

Kim smiled. "No, but that's what makes it fun. I had to come now though because you're closer to your family than you've ever been; but I had to wait until _Alex_ was gone."

The way she said Alex's name gave me chills. Obviously she didn't like her. "What's wrong with Alex?" I asked.

"That know it all!" Kim snapped. "She thinks she can avoid my spirit forever! Even trying to break my curse!" I would've asked what she meant, but her hair turned as black as coal, and her eyes as red as rubies. I found myself frozen in place for a moment.

A rumble of thunder broke me from my stare. "Oh I... Uh..." I stuttered, looking up the stairs. A minute passed before light from the sun shown down the hall. "Oops..."

"Magnificit!" Kim exclaimed. I turned back to her. Her hair was blonde again and her eyes indigo. "It's truely something your powers! I can see it all now! So much destruction and terror." Her eyes glowed brightly.

I took a step back. "What? I don't want to use my powers. I don't want to cause any destruction!"

Kim turned her gaze to me, her eyes bright crimson. "Then... I'll help you. Yes, that's what I'll do!" Her eyes started turning blue as she spoke, and her hair was a lighter blonde. "Helping, yes. It's something I haven't done since I made the flute that drove the serpentine underground. Montgomery copied my design, turning the energy pure. I'll show him that I can help in an affective way."

"How can you help?" I asked.

Her dress now repaired itself. Her leg started to shimmer. She noticed this and tapped it with her hand. A dark veil covered it and it stopped shimmering. "I can help with my magic, dear girl," she said in a cheerful tone. "It's powerful magic, capable of anything. Flutes. That was only the beginning of my power. I shall rewrite destiny! I will take away your powers, give you a chance to be adopted, and that'll mend my sins. I can finally pass to the Spirit Realm!"

I stared at her. She'd be helping me, and in turn her good deed will let her spirit be free. It was a win-win. "Okay!" I smiled. "Let's do it!"

* * *

**That's the 10th chapter. So far... Yeah... To sum up what jut happened, Echo made a deal with a spirit. Someone guess what could go wrong! Review, no flaming. **


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